Barcelona claimed that it "only paid" £65M ($108M) for Luis Suarez, despite his Liverpool release clause set at £75M ($125M), according to Tom Sheen of the London INDEPENDENT. Barcelona VP Jordi Mestre announced that the club had spent $108M on the striker. Mestre said, "Luis Suarez had a release clause at Liverpool of £75 million. After negotiations, we in the end paid £65 million." Mestre "was then questioned on how the club got such a good price for Suarez." He added, “For two reasons: good negotiations by our people and Luis’ wish to join.” The claim sparked mocking on social media, with many claiming Barcelona has announced "a lower price in a bid to avoid paying tax to the Spanish authorities." Mestre also confirmed that "Suarez's new release clause is set at" €200M ($266M) (INDEPENDENT, 8/19).